Section 2. Flight Plans and Control Information

a. Record flight plan information required by the
type of flight plan and existing circumstances. Use
authorized abbreviations when possible.

NOTE-
Generally, all military overseas flights are required to
clear through a specified military base operations office
(BASOPS). Pilots normally will not file flight plans directly
with an FAA facility unless a BASOPS is not available.
BASOPS will, in turn, forward the IFR flight notification
message to the appropriate center.

b. EN ROUTE. When flight plans are filed directly
with the center, record all items given by the pilot
either on a flight progress strip/flight data entry or on
a voice recorder. If the latter, enter in box 26 of the
initial flight progress strip the sector or position
number to identify where the information may be
found in the event search and rescue (SAR) activities
become necessary.

Forward control information from controller to
controller within a facility, then to the receiving
facility as the aircraft progresses along its route.
Where appropriate, use computer equipment in lieu
of manual coordination procedures. Do not use the
remarks section of flight progress strips in lieu of
voice coordination to pass control information.
Ensure that flight plan and control information is
correct and up-to-date. When covered by a letter of
agreement/facility directive, the time requirements of
subpara a may be reduced, and the time requirements
of subpara b1 and para 2-2-11, Forwarding
Amended and UTM Data, subpara a may be increased
up to 15 minutes when facilitated by automated
systems or mandatory radar handoffs; or if
operationally necessary because of manual data
processing or nonradar operations, the time requirements of subpara a may be increased.

NOTE-1. The procedures for preparing flight plan and control
information related to altitude reservations (ALTRVs) are
contained in FAAO JO 7210.3, para 8-1-2, Facility
Operation and Administration, ALTRV Flight Data
Processing. Development of the methods for assuring the
accuracy and completeness of ALTRV flight plan and
control information is the responsibility of the military
liaison and security officer.

2. The term facility in this paragraph refers to centers and
terminal facilities when operating in an en route capacity.

a. Forward the following information at least
15 minutes before the aircraft is estimated to enter the
receiving facility's area:

1. Aircraft identification.

2. Number of aircraft if more than one, heavy
aircraft indicator “H/” if appropriate, type of aircraft,
and aircraft equipment suffix.

3. Assigned altitude and ETA over last reporting
point/fix in transferring facility's area or assumed
departure time when the departure point is the last
point/fix in the transferring facility's area.

4. Altitude at which aircraft will enter the
receiving facility's area if other than the assigned
altitude.

5. True airspeed.

6. Point of departure.

7. Route of flight remaining.

8. Destination airport and clearance limit if
other than destination airport.

9. ETA at destination airport (not required for
military or scheduled air carrier aircraft).

11. When flight plan data must be forwarded
manually and an aircraft has been assigned a beacon
code by the computer, include the code as part of the
flight plan.

NOTE-
When an IFR aircraft, or a VFR aircraft that has been
assigned a beacon code by the EAS and whose flight plan
will terminate in another facility's area, cancels ATC
service or does not activate the flight plan, send a remove
strips (RS) message on that aircraft via the EAS keyboard,
the FDIO keyboard or call via service F.

12. Longitudinal separation being used between
aircraft at the same altitude if it results in these aircraft
having less than 10 minutes separation at the
facilities' boundary.

When a flight plan is manually entered into the
computer and a computer-assigned beacon code has
been forwarded with the flight plan data, insert the
beacon code in the appropriate field as part of the
input message.

2-2-8. ALTRV INFORMATION

EN ROUTE

When an aircraft is a part of an approved ALTRV,
forward only those items necessary to properly
identify the flight, update flight data contained in the
ALTRV APVL, or revise previously given
information.

2-2-9. COMPUTER MESSAGE
VERIFICATION

EN ROUTE

Unless your facility is equipped to automatically
obtain acknowledgment of receipt of transferred data,
when you transfer control information by computer
message, obtain, via Service F, acknowledgment that
the receiving center has received the message and
verification of the following:

a. Within the time limits specified by a letter of
agreement or when not covered by a letter of
agreement, at least 15 minutes before the aircraft is
estimated to enter the receiving facility's area, or at
the time of a radar handoff, or coordination for
transfer of control:

a. Transmit proposed flight plans which fall
within an ARTCC's Proposed Boundary Crossing
Time (PBCT) parameter to adjacent ARTCC's via the
Computer B network during hours of inter-center
computer operation. In addition, when the route of
flight of any proposed flight plan exceeds 20 elements external to the originating ARTCC's area,
NADIN must be used to forward the data to all
affected centers.

b. During nonautomated operation, the proposed
flight plans must be sent via NADIN to the other
centers involved when any of the following
conditions are met:

1. The route of flight external to the originating
center's area consists of 10 or more elements and the
flight will enter 3 or more other center areas.

NOTE-
An element is defined as either a fix or route as specified in
FAAO JO 7110.10, Flight Services, para 6-3-3, IFR Flight
Plan Control Messages.

2. The route of flight beyond the first point of
exit from the originating center's area consists of
10 or more elements, which are primarily fixes
described in fix-radial-distance or latitude/longitude
format, regardless of the number of other center areas
entered.

a. Forward any amending data concerning previously forwarded flight plans except that revisions to
ETA information in para 2-2-6, IFR Flight Progress
Data, need only be forwarded when the time differs
by more than 3 minutes from the estimate given.

b. Computer acceptance of an appropriate input
message fulfills the requirement for sending amended
data. During EAS FDP operations, the amendment
data are considered acknowledged on receipt of a
computer update message or a computer-generated
flight progress strip containing the amended data.

2. If a pilot is not issued a computer-generated
PDR/PDAR/PAR and if amendment data is not entered into
the computer, the next controller will have incorrect route
information.

c. Forward any amended control information and
record the action on the appropriate flight progress
strip. Additionally, when a route or altitude in a
previously issued clearance is amended within
15 minutes of an aircraft's proposed departure time,
the facility that amended the clearance must
coordinate the amendment with the receiving facility
via verbal AND automated means to ensure timely
passage of the information.

NOTE-
The term “receiving” facility means the ATC facility that
is expected to transmit the amended clearance to the
intended aircraft/pilot.

d. EN ROUTE. Effect manual coordination on any
interfacility flight plan data that is not passed through
automated means.

2-2-12. AIRBORNE MILITARY FLIGHTS

Forward to AFSSs/FSSs the following information
received from airborne military aircraft:

a. IFR flight plans and changes from VFR to IFR
flight plans.

b. Changes to an IFR flight plan as follows:

1. Change in destination:

(a) Aircraft identification and type.

(b) Departure point.

(c) Original destination.

(d) Position and time.

(e) New destination.

(f) ETA.

(g) Remarks including change in fuel exhaustion time.

(h) Revised ETA.

2. Change in fuel exhaustion time.

NOTE-
This makes current information available to AFSSs/FSSs
for relay to military bases concerned and for use by centers
in the event of two-way radio communications failure.

2-2-13. FORWARDING FLIGHT PLAN
DATA BETWEEN U.S. ARTCCs AND
CANADIAN ACCs

EN ROUTE

a. Domestic. (Continental U.S./Canadian airspace
except Alaska) Proposed departure flight plans and
en route estimates will be handled on a 30 minute lead
time (or as bilaterally agreed) between any ACC and
ARTCC.

b. International. Any route changes (except SIDs)
must be forwarded to the appropriate Oceanic/Pre-oceanic ACC or ARTCC with an optimum lead time of 30 minutes or as soon as this information becomes available.

c. Initially, if a flight goes from U.S. airspace into
Canadian airspace and returns to U.S. airspace, the
ACC will be responsible for forwarding the flight
plan data to the appropriate ARTCC by voice
transmission except for flights which traverse
mutually agreed on airways/fixes. These airways/fixes will be determined on a case-by-case basis and
will be based on time and distance considerations at
the service area office.

2-2-14. TELETYPE FLIGHT DATA
FORMAT- U.S. ARTCCs - CANADIAN ACCs

EN ROUTE

The exchange of flight plan data between Canadian
ACCs and U.S. ARTCCs must be made as follows:

a. The U.S. ARTCCs will transmit flight data to
the Canadian ACCs in one of the following formats: